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Save the sea turtle

COMPILED BY ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN

PHOTO: N. SRIDHARAN

ATTRACTIVE LIGHTS: Luring the unwary.

Glow sticks that lighten up raves and Halloween may be tempting thousands of sea turtles to their deaths, a new study says. Used to attract fish to hooks on miles-long lines, the lights are apparently also irresistible to the reptiles. Commercial longline fishing operations are known to contribute to the decline of sea turtle populations. Now researchers say that simply changing the type of light sticks could perhaps reduce the number of accidentally caught turtles. The study is the first to demonstrate that sea turtles are attracted to the lights used by commercial longliners to lure swordfish and tuna. In 2000 alone, an estimated 200,000 loggerhead turtles and 50,000 leatherbacks were killed on longlines, according to the report. The World Conservation Union lists both species as endangered.

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